


My heart is blossoming for you (and i dont want it stop)

by Six_Feet_Under_Hell (orphan_account)



Category: VIXX
Genre: Longshot - Freeform, M/M, Oneshot, au ofc, barista!ken, chaken, flowerboy!hakyeon, haken - Freeform, hongbin high key crushing on hyuk, i guess its fluff, i wrote this ages ago sorry if its bad, im sorry theres no ravi i can explain, its relaxing, lsiten to alicks' music when you read this, single dad taekwoon, soft, you dont have to its just a suggestion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-04
Updated: 2019-02-04
Packaged: 2019-10-22 04:32:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17656103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Six_Feet_Under_Hell
Summary: Just like 2 warm bodies in the cold night, they naturally found their way to each other.Or, in which Hakyeon is a flower boy, Jaehwan is a barista, and it just works.





	My heart is blossoming for you (and i dont want it stop)

**Author's Note:**

> yeah i wrote this ages ago, like a year ago. but here you go. I didnt read over it because i read over it like 20 times last year. from the bits i did read i can say it definitely could have done with a lot of editing but,,, here it is  
> enjoy,,,,,  
> the person who wrote this is Six_Feet_Under_Hell but i didnt want the story on my profile so i orphaned it

I’ve always stared at the ceiling when I can’t sleep. I could say that I find something calming about it, how nothing is going on, how there is nothing specific to think about while staring at the blank, smooth surface resting above me. But that’s not true. It’s not about how the barren wood clears my mind, or how it might provoke philosophical thoughts. No, I’m not cool like that. It’s all because of when I was a little boy, around five years old, my father put decoration stickers of flowers all over my bedroom ceiling for my birthday.   
There were so many different flowers with small details, even when the same flower was repeated, it would be at a different angle. When he uncovered my eyes to show me my birthday surprise, my small young mind was amazed. I had always loved flowers.  When I saw any flower anywhere- whether it was in someone’s garden or a weed growing strong through the cracks of the pavement- I would always stop and admire it, my parents having to drag me away to get to the intended place. So for my father to do all this stunned me, while most kids would have stars sparkling across their ceiling, I had these flowers strewn around as my own personal garden.

After one night of staring at them, I started to wonder more about them. What are their names? What do they mean? Do they have their own stories? It was that night I decided to start my mission, my mission to find my way through the garden sitting above my head as the unconscious swept through my head like fallen red leaves in the wind.  
Every day, I would convince my father to take me to the flower shop down the street, a nice sweet place with a homely aroma of flowers and a hint of cinnamon. After showing my interest in flowers, the old lady who owned the shop was more than happy to share her knowledge of the blossoming beauties. She went over each flower teaching me the names of the more common flowers, things like: sunflowers, lilies, roses, dandelions, carnations, chrysanthemums (as a five year old I was very proud of that one), daffodils, and orchids.   
She slowly became more in depth with her teachings. Each day my small mind would grow with passion and knowledge. Each night I would go home and stare at the flowers on my roof, naming them instead of counting sheep. As time moved on the names became more specific, I started adding descriptions and meanings. 

The old woman was happy to teach me, I could tell, whenever she told me stories about the flowers she would look at me like I was a fitting puzzle piece to something missing. She taught me with so much passion and almost relief that she could pass this on. She ended up nicknaming me ‘Flower Boy’. I always liked that.  
  
By the age of fourteen I was practically working at the shop. It was like a second home to me. After school, instead of going home and doing homework, I went to the small cosy shop and read up about flowers and helped customers out. Of course by dinner time I was back home, I ate, did half my homework (the other half would be done right before class) , then I proceeded to climb into my bed and attempt to make my way through the garden above my head before I fell asleep.  
Flowers were my stress remedy, reciting stories calmed me down, going to the shop soothed my brain. Flowers were something consistent in my life. No matter what happened that day, I could _always_ go back home and walk through my own upside down garden.

  
  
Although, this roof doesn’t have stickers or flowers (the vase of Daucus Carota in the corner being an exception), but I guess it’s just habit at this point, I can’t fall asleep without looking at the ceiling. 

It wasn’t a surprise to me when she passed the shop down to me the day I turned 18, she was growing weaker with age and had to move into a home. Although, just because I wasn’t that surprised, doesn’t mean I wasn’t excited to take it over. I moved into it quickly as my parents moved away to a city.  
As cozy as the shop is, you would be surprised at how much living space there is. Two bedrooms, one upstairs in the attic and the other downstairs, right next to the living room and open kitchen space.

 

So here I am today, in the attic staring at the ceiling waiting for sleep to take me, at the age of 23, floating through my thoughts of flowers.

  
  


.:::::::::::.

  
  


“Hakyeon, get up now I have to get to work but I can’t find my phone, what did you do with it last night?” I groan as I’m shaken awake by my roommate, Hongbin.   
  


“I left it on the counter downstairs after changing some contact names now let me sleep,” the barely audible muffles escape my mouth before I shove my face back into my pillow.  
  
“Hakyeon! Do you think I haven’t checked the counter already!,”

 

I pull my face up from the pillow, “what’s with the lack of honorifics,”   
  


“That doesn’t matter right now, look, I’m already ten minutes late and Pretty Boy is only at the library for thirty minutes in the mornings,” after those words leave Hongbin’s mouth, he is basically dragging me out of bed in desperation. With the thump of my body hitting the floor and a small whine from my mouth, Hongbin disappears back downstairs to find his phone. After gathering myself for a few seconds, I wander downstairs to search for Hongbin’s lost phone.   
  


 

.:::::::::::.

  
  


That bloody idiot was too focused on the fact that he was late to open his eyes. Seriously, his phone was resting on the banister, exactly where  _ he  _ himself had placed it in order to put his shoes on. I don’t understand him and his infatuation with that damn boy at the library.   
  
  


“Hello sir, what would you like today!” A voice happily cuts me out of my spiderweb of tired thoughts, reminding me what I’m doing.   
  


“Anything to wake me up, please,” I mumble out, with a weak smile vaguely aimed towards the barista in front of me. With a quick smiled flashed back, he spins around and starts fiddling with the switches on the coffee machine. Whilst expertly throwing some ingredients into a takeaway mug, he speaks again.

 

“Anything you don’t want in it?” His voice is soft and cheerful, matching the aesthetic of the cafe itself. The cafe has a musky, coffee smell to it- quite comforting in my opinion. Browny, pale beige colours, along with the odd hint of yellow dabbled in now and then, paired with a pleasingly styled interior design.   
  
“Just nothing too strong really,” replying to his question, I return back to admiring the design of the cafe, noticing a small nod from the barista. My eyes ended up wandering over to the man making my coffee, even he matched the whole aesthetic. He was wearing a black t-shirt, that was fitted nicely to his chest and hugged his body, along with a dark brown apron, a couple darker stains left here and there. Although the variable that tied it all together (other than his face, his expressions were soft and just added on to everything), was his hair, his pale blonde bleached hair sat messily atop his head making him stand out just that little bit that was needed.  
  
“Here you go,” with his lips curved into a smile, the barista handed me the drink. I couldn’t help but smile back at him.

 

“How much is it?” I ask, pulling out my wallet, searching for the right notes already.  
  
“It’s on the house,” as the words leave his mouth, I look up in confusion, catching a small wink thrown at me as he walks out through to a backroom. I stand dumbfounded. What just happened? I slowly put my wallet back into my pocket and begin to leave the cafe, making a mental note to come back one day and have a proper sit down.  
  
The cafe is only about a ten minute walk down from the flower shop, I don’t know why I’ve never been there before. The bite of the crisp morning air is starting to fade away due to the sun creeping in. A huff of air is let out of my mouth, I watch the fog float around in waves in front of me before taking a sip of the coffee. Vanilla latte with a dash of cinnamon, I take the lid off of the cup to find whipped cream on top. I lick a little off of the top then put the lid back on. 

I slowly reach my shop, the pastel vibe along with the vibrant colours from the flowers making me think about the cafe’s aesthetic again. By the time I’ve reached my store, a small kid is tugging on my arm.   


“Uncle Hakyeon!! You’re back!” Junho, my friend Taekwoon’s little boy, is beaming up at me with a giant smile.

 

“Hello Junho!” with a small smile shot back at him, I ruffled his brown, fluffy hair and picked him up, looking up to find Taekwoon looking at some Rose Peace at the front of the shop. Picking Junho up, I wander over to Taekwoon. “Taekwoon! Why are you two here so early today?” motioning for Taekwoon to follow me inside, I walk into the shop and turn over a sign to reveal the word ‘open’ in bold, pastel pink letters.

 

“I have another big meeting today, do you mind looking after him? He’s been begging to see you again anyway,” Taekwoon’s soft voice almost hurts. His voice is usually soft but today it seems almost rough. Has he been sleeping well? Eating properly? I know it hurts him to not be able to look after Junho all the time. 

 

“Yeah of course I can,” I toss a smile to him and he returns it weakly. Placing Junho into a seat by the checkout, I walk over to Taekwoon, “I know you want to raise him yourself but remember it’s fine to ask us for help. Make sure you get plenty of sleep while you can,” all he does to reply is nod, I should be used to his silence by now, but sometimes it worries me. I pat him on the shoulder before stepping back and plucking a Gladiolus from a bouquet of flowers. Strength. I pass it over to him and he smiles at it.  
  
“Thank you,” he walks over to Junho, picks him up and holds him tight, patting his hair softy. With a soft mumble from Taekwoon, Junho giggles, earning a kiss on the forehead from Taekwoon and a smile from me, “bye guys,” and with a wave he spins around and leaves, his black hair shining in the morning sun, leaving me alone with Junho.

 

We stay in silence for a bit, me drinking my coffee, him gazing at the flowers. 

 

“What flower did you give dad?” it’s a simple question but it makes me smile softly.  
  
“Gladiolus, by itself it symbolizes strength, in the proper bouquet it could mean infatuation, and it could also be symbolism of a 40th wedding anniversary,” 

 

“Enfa, enfatuet, infatu-” I laugh softly as he struggles to say and understand the word.  
  
“In-fa-tu-a-tion, it’s when you really like someone,” with a growing smile I start explaining this to him, this is the reason I don’t mind Taekwoon bringing Junho over.

 

“Like how I like Dad and you?” because I get to teach him.  
  
“No, it’s when a specific person can make you feel all happy and fluffy inside just by the thought of them,” Junho tilts his head sideways a little, a hint of confusion on his face.  
  
“I don’t understand,”  the innocence of his words makes me smile even more, once again ruffling his hair.  
  
“It’s okay, you never really understand it until you feel it,” although my mouth relaxes from the big grin of before, my lips are still left slightly upturned. In the silence I take another sip of my coffee, taking in the full beauty of the shop bathing in the sweet sunlight.

 

“Uncle Hakyeon?” I turn towards Junho softly, the same soft expression left on my face.  
  
“Mhm?” I let out a noise of acknowledgment, implying for him to ask the question.  
  
  
He opens his mouth and pauses for a second before continuing, “Have you ever felt infatuayshon?” I look down at my coffee cup which is currently warming my hands.  
  
“I don’t know, there were times where I thought I did, but I don’t think I actually did,” I make eye contact with him and grin widely, “but that doesn’t matter, I’ll just wait for the right person,” Junho smiles widely back, and we continue with the silence bathing in sun. 

  
  


.:::::::::::.

  
  


Maybe I should put stickers on this ceiling. All nicely placed around in bundles, correlating colours. I could decorate the whole room to match while I’m at it, nice white pillows, sheets, and duvets. A wooden bedframe and black, white and gold decorative pillows on top. Of course the bedside table would be a vase of white and yellow Frangipani. 

 

A sharp inhale of breath. A slow exhale. There’s not much I can do at night except stare at the ceiling and wait for the sleep wash over me.  
I wonder how Junho is doing? I know he’s only downstairs in the living room, sleeping on the pull out couch. He’s probably resting well, he normally sleeps well after I teach him about flowers. Maybe he lists flowers to help him sleep. Just like I did. 

...  
_Acacia, rose or white coloured- Platonic love, friendship, elegance._ _  
__Blue Bell- Constancy, kindness, gratitude, humility, believed to call fairies when rung._ _  
__Calendula- Ambitious, respectable, sorrow, sympathy, October birth flower_

_ Dogwood- Faithfulness, durability, persistence, stamina _ _  
_ _ Eucalyptus- Protection _

_ Fern- Confidence, fascination… magic…..sincer..ity……. _

  
  


.:::::::::::.

  
  


The cold morning air hits me right in the face once again, numbing my nose into a soft pink as I walk down the street. I’d woken up in a rush once again this morning, Hongbin shaking me awake at 7:00 am reminding me that I not only needed to take Junho to school in an hour, but I had to prepare him for it too- meaning make his lunch, pack his bag, give him breakfast and make sure he brushes his teeth.   
As I dropped Junho of at school, I decided to go to that coffee shop again due to my sudden awakening. There’s a small chime as I step through the doorway, away from the frosty bites chewing away at my revealed skin and into the warmth, heat seeping back slowly into my flesh.   
  
“Hello!” I look up to find the owner of the voice, the same barista as yesterday. His uplifting voice manages to put a small smile on my face. Rubbing my hands together, I let out a cold exhale then walk over to the counter.

 

“Same thing as yesterday please,” I say, hoping he remembers me (considering he gave me a free drink I’d say he does). With quick smile he once again turns around and works his magic just like the day before, “oh, and to drink inside please,”   
  
He turns around while the coffee slowly pours into the cup from the machine behind him, “so why are you staying in? You meeting someone or something?” he asks, leaning on the counter and resting his head in his hands.

 

“Huh? Oh, no It’s just nice in here and I need a chance to relax,” my reply is slow and thoughtful, I don’t actually know why I feel like sitting down and drinking, but I guess that reason is the closest I can get to it.  
  
“Mind if I join you then?” he turns around to finish the coffee, and starts on making another drink at the same time.  
  
“Oh, uh sure, I guess it would be nice to talk to someone,” I smile at this, for no reason really, I just feel like it. Smiling back, the blonde boy turns around and to pass me my coffee. “Okay but how much is this, I’m not gonna take one for free again,” fumbling with my old worn out wallet, I manage to concentrate well enough to let those words out. Once I’ve opened the wallet I look up, only to see the barista’s face around five inches away from mine, his head once again resting on his hands. With his face in such close proximity, I can’t help but stare at him. His features complement themselves nicely, some part of me thinks they looks slightly foreign.  
  
“Aaaaaah, but what if I don’t let you pay,” with his voice almost like a whisper, those words leave his mouth, each word being pronounced slowly and carefully with a tint of playfulness in snuck in between. He smirks. It’s quite a cute smirk.  
  
“Well no matter what I’m paying for it, I am an independent young man and I don’t take things free,” I stand back, crossing my arms and putting on my best ‘stubborn child’ face- as Hongbin likes to call it.

 

“You did yesterday,” his reply is short and said matter of factly, making me slightly more annoyed that he could just rebound my stubbornness like that.   
  
“Well, yeah, that was different,” my words slightly splutter whilst passing through my lips. If the stubborn face didn’t work, it’s time for my pout. Slightly sticking my bottom lip out, I try my best to keep my eyes as stubborn as before.  
  
“Well, today is also different then,” and before I have time to object, he’s already taking two drinks over to a table by a frosted window in the corner. I stand for a second, once again dumbfounded. Before turning around, I involuntarily make multiple confused facial expressions, proceeding to shake them off and walk over to the barista.  
  
He pulls out a seat for me as I move closer to the table, him then moving to sit on the opposite side to me. With a warm inhale of breath I sit down on the chair, rubbing my face and ruffling my soft brown hair, exhaling that same breath. My eyes are kept closed as I pat my hair back down to it’s short middle parting. As I open my eyes, I notice the soft barista smirking and raising an eyebrow in amusement.  
  
“Is is normal for you to turn into a dog while first meeting someone?” he leans back in his chair ever so slightly as he queries me.  
  
“I- wha- well no, my hair is just, fluffy. Well someone did call me Borkyeon once because apparently I look like a wet dog in the water, but that’s unimportant,” he grins a lopsided smile that I return, and the conversation easily flows on from there.   
  
“Well nice to meet you-” He gestures me to say my name.

 

“Cha Hakyeon,” he smiles once again, lifting up the corners of my own mouth.  
  
  
“So what’s yours?” If our words were colours, I think they’d be a relaxed tone of browns and pastel yellows.

 

“Jaehwan,” huh, I like that name, it suits him. 

 

I look down and lick a chunk of whipped cream sprinkled with cinnamon off of the top. I glance back at him to see him watching me carefully, the smallest smile climbing onto his face.

 

“What?” I lick around my mouth to wipe off any leftover whipped cream. Jaehwan's small smile from before turns into a grin, teeth showing and sun shining.

 

“You left some behind,” he grins as he leans forward, brushing my nose with his thumb and taking off a chunk of whipped cream I somehow managed to get on it.

 

“Oh,” self consciously, I move my hand to my nose, scrubbing it aggressively with my whole hand. As I do this, Jaehwan leans forward, wiping the whipped cream from my nose onto my jacket, leaving me to, once again, aggressively scrub it into my jacket.

  
“You’ve wasted the poor whipped cream”  Jaehwan whines at me, pointing a small finger towards the rubbed-in cream on my shirt.

 

“Shut up, did you expect me to eat it off my shirt,” I smile at him playfully, and it’s all crinkled eyes and visible teeth, and when he smiles back, it's all warm like the rising sun, melting away the morning along with ease of our conversation.

  
  


It was nice.

 

I want to go back.  
  
I probably will.

 

.:::::::::::.

  
  
  


Still the same roof. I’ve started to take notice of the small grooves in the ceiling- little scratches and slight marks. I wonder how they got there. What’s their story. Have they been noticed before? Am I the first? It always takes me so long to get to sleep, to let it wash over me. I have tried changing position but that always makes it worse. I’ll always end up looking back at the ceiling.  _ Jaehwan _ . I’ve found my thoughts wandering to him now and then. Such a strange person yet so lovable, something about him just makes me want to keep talking, keep smiling, keep sharing those small giggles and smirks. That flower thing worked surprisingly well last night. Maybe I’ll try it again.   
_ Gerbera - Gentleness, friendship, loyal love, purity, strength, you are the sunshine of my life _

_ Honeyflower - Affection, secret love, sweet disposition _

_ Ipomoea - I attach myself to you, embrace, hug _

_ Kennedia - Intellectual beauty _

_ Laburnum - Blackness, I’m feeling neglected, forsaken _

_ Mandrake - Scarcity, rarity _ _  
_ _ Nasturtium - Conquest, patriotism.. Victory in..battle…..used in 40..th.. Wedding… anniversaries _   
  
  


.:::::::::::.

  
  


Another day and I’m back down at the cafe. No particular reason this time, no rude awakenings putting me in desperate need for coffee. It just felt right, natural, even. Once again, I was forced into taking the coffee free _(one day I’ll get him)_ and once again, we sat down and talked. Not only did we talk, we laughed, we smiled. And now I’m leaving, walking back out into the blunt edge of the crisp air. I don’t really pay attention to how much I want to turn back around and just talk to him while he does his job all day. I don’t really pay attention to the smile that lightly plays around on my face when a thought about him pops into my head. I don’t really pay attention to how empty I feel, walking alone in the cold.  
_At least I’ll be back with my flowers._ _  
__  
_ Around 4:00pm, Taekwoon and Junho are back again. Same situation, Junho needs to stay the night, Taekwoon needs to go to a meeting, I tell Taekwoon to get some rest and eat well. Taekwoon leaves and Junho and I currently have multiple flowers spread out around us as we sit on the floor. Small words are rippling through the air, flower names coming from Junho.   
Without paying full attention to what he’s saying, I admire the amber lit room, the sun just beginning to set. I don’t even notice the break of silence that falls upon us. A small voice breaks open from next to me, a situation I’m used to yet the question makes me stumble.  
  
“Uncle Hakyeon?” there’s a pause between his words, I signal with a small movement of my head for him to continue, “Why have you been smiling so much today?” and that’s where my thoughts stopped.  
  
“I always smile?” It’s a confused answer, I don’t really understand what he means.  
  
“But today you’ve looked at random things and just smiled, with a small laugh, it’s also a bigger smile than usual, it’s different,” I hadn’t noticed.  
  
“I guess today is just a nice day,” I smile at him, I guess it’s a normal smile? The smile I normally give him, I don’t know.

  
  


.:::::::::::.

  
  


Sometimes right before I close my eyes to sleep, I can almost see the flowers on this roof. It always shocks me. I always want to double check. I always open my eyes again. I always need to try get to sleep again. I’m always sent back to the beginning of the cycle. Back to the first few thoughts I have to help me sleep. Did I serve the customers well? I think back on every customer and what they wanted and what I gave them. Then it moves onto miscellaneous thoughts about people in my life. Recently it’s ended up moving on to Jaehwan specifically after that. Just something about him I guess.  
Then it’s back to flowers, naming them and putting a meaning behind them.

_ Orchid, Ophrys Spider - Skill, dexterity _ _  
_ _ Phlox, pink - Hope of a new friendship _ _  
_ _ Quince - Cheers me up to my very soul, enticement, temptation _ _  
_ _ Rose, peach -  Let’s get together, closing of the deal, your qualities and charms) are unequalled _ _  
_ _ Salvia, blue - Wisdom, I think of you _

_ Tuberose - Dangerous pleasures, greek meaning white flower _

_ Verbena - Faithfulness…. pray for .. me ……. sensibili..ty _

 

.:::::::::::.

  
  


“He’s not here right now sorry,” I look in confusion at the not-Jaehwan-barista. When I walked into the cafe this morning there was a different barista, so of course I asked where Jaehwan was.

 

“Huh? Why?”   
  
“He doesn’t work on weekends, goes out with his friends apparently, I’m pretty sure he just goes out to annoy them,” the barista looks quite friendly, so I decide to ask more questions, not wanting to be let down from not seeing Jaehwan this morning.  
  
“But he was here last weekend? On Sunday?”   
  
“Oh yeah, his friend had to study or something and kicked Jaehwan out for being too annoying. Apparently Jae was bored and heartbroken enough to do my work for me and pay me for it,” she shakes her head softly with a chuckle, short straight hair slowly waving with her head.   
  
“Oh. Do you know where he might be?” I press on, determined to find him.  
  
“Probably the library, that’s normally where he goes to annoy his friend,” I smile at her, taking an inhale of breath. If Jaehwan isn’t there I could always sit around with Hongbin for a bit, and by sit around with Hongbin I mean poking him so he’ll talk to me while he tries reading a book, resulting in Hongbin shooting me glares every so often. That situation almost makes me wish Jaehwan isn’t there. _Almost._

 _  
_ “Well, I’ll get a vanilla latte with whipped cream and cinnamon, to take away” I might as well order a coffee, I’ve grown to need them now (I know it’s only been 6 days since I’ve started having them but 6 days can start an addiction okay)

  
With a small, barely noticeable, questionable look, she shrugs, turning around to make the coffee. After a minute or two of making the coffee, she turns around and hands it to me, “that’ll be 5000 won,” taking the money out of my wallet, I say thank you. I’ll make sure Jaehwan sees me drinking this, he’ll know I paid for it. As soon as everything is sorted out, I head straight out back into the cold, ignoring its effect on my stinging nose.   
  
It takes a good twenty minutes of a strangely relaxing frosty morning walk to get to the library. Stepping into the warmth of the library makes me realise how cold I actually was.  I hurriedly wipe my red tinted nose which was running due to the cold. 

 

My feet carry me into the room filled with the smell of both freshly printed and old books. Glancing to my side lightly, and shoot a smile towards Hongbin who is sitting at the checkout, reading some red and blue book called ‘Whisper’, he picks up the smile and glares back. I simply turn back around and start searching for Jaehwan. Walking through multiple bookshelves distracts me a little bit, I need a new book to read when I’m alone at the shop. Without any prior thought, my feet drag me through the aisles and over to a whole section filled with flower books- I read most of these as a child but I assume it’s just habit to walk over here at this point.   
  
Suddenly I smile before I see it. I take a good look around the aisle, spotting a certain blonde barista, standing with a book open in hand, eyes intensely drinking in as much information as he can. My eyes softly drink as much of the picture perfect scene in front of me, the small crease of his eyebrow, lips slightly parted. Although the thing that make makes me smile the most is the book he’s reading- a book about flowers, not only that, but it seems to be one of the more intricate books. A vague memory passes through my mind of me picking that book up when I was around six, looking at the words and not being able to pronounce a single word due to them all being the scientific species names of flowers. Without thinking, I let out a small chuckle. Whether it’s directed at him or the memory, I’m not so sure.  
  
With a startled look crossing Jaehwan’s face, he looks up at me. A red tint appears on his ears, slowly getting more visible as it spread across his cheeks and nose, complementing his face with a tinge of red. An awkward smile is thrown my way, not an uncomfortable awkward, a cute awkward. The smile from the small laugh still sits happily on my face as I stare at his flustered expression. Suddenly, he looks down to the cup of coffee resting in my hands. His flushed face instantly wipes off of his face.  
  
“You traitor!” with eye contact, Jaehwan gasps after the words. I simply smirk, he hasn’t thought about how I’ve paid for it, “have you had any yet? It’s not as good as mine is it. It probably won’t be considering it’s not actually a thing on the menu. Wait where did you get it from?-” before he can continue I cut him off.

 

“Yes. No. really? Well I _bought_ it from the girl who works in your cafe on the weekends,” a specific word in that sentence makes him freeze, his eyes widening.  
  
“You bought a drink!? And I tried so hard to make sure you didn’t~” with words dragging out at the end, he whines and almost pouts, looking down for a second. Almost instantly, he pulls his head back up and makes eye contact, it’s the most painful eye contact I’ve ever experienced. His eyes almost speak a story of betrayal, with a slight twitch of a frown falls upon his lips. I don’t know whether to laugh or throw the coffee in the bin.  
  
“Well I wouldn’t have had to if you’d have told me you weren’t working today,” smirking, I take a sip of the coffee, staring straight in his eyes, his broken, offended eyes. “So are you doing anything today? According to the girl, you just hang out with your friend who doesn’t seem to always enjoy your company,” my spoken words cut Jaehwan straight back into reality.  
  
“What did she say? No, my Hyukkie loves me very much and always enjoys my company,”  a smile plays on his lips, completely back to our normal conversations.  
  
“Okay then, well, do you maybe want to spend the day sitting around at my flower shop rather than sitting around bored, poking your Hyukkie so he’ll speak to you?” it’s a simple yet big suggestion. We’ve never spent days together, only the limited thirty minutes of the morning.   
  
“How do you know I poke Hyukkie when I’m bored?” It almost seems as if he’s stalling.

 

“Because I poke Hongbin when I’m bored, so do you want to come over or not?” I start to get stressed over the question. Why hasn’t he answered it yet? Is this too far?  
  
“Of course!” although I don’t know why, I almost stop breathing at those words, a large grin breaking out on my face that I don’t even try to conceal.  
  
“Should we leave now? Or is there something you need to do?” glancing down at the still open book in his hands, I bring his attention back to it. Suddenly he’s flustered again.  
  
“Ah, no, we’re uhh, good to go,” a hurried swift motion blurs through my vision as he throws the book back into its rightful place, “should we go?” the red still highlights his cheeks as slightly points towards the door. I nod my head, and we leave in silence. Comfortably. 

  
  


“Taekwoon! Again? Not that I mind but this is the third time this week, are you overworking? Because if you are you don’t need to be I know you earn enough money and I thought you’d want to be spending time with Junho? Don’t you and Junho have a bonding day on Saturdays?” only thirty minutes after Jaehwan and I made it to the shop, Taekwoon appeared with two dark bags under his eyes accompanied with a smiling sunshine by his side.  
  
“I’m fine Hak, just worked quite late last night and I want to make Junho’s Saturday enjoyable because I’m not really in a fit state to go anywhere right now,” the usual soft reply of ‘don’t worry’ and ‘I’m fine’. I start to believe him less and less the more times he comes here and says it.  
  
“Look, I’ll look after him tonight, you go home and sleep and then, I don’t know, go to a club and hook up with someone or something. Let some stress out,” A scrunch between his eyebrows forms and he looks almost disgusted.  
  
“You know I don’t like hooking up with people, it just doesn’t seem right,” a small sigh escapes my lips, pulling him in for a hug, I whisper in his ear.  
  


“Just please for the love of God look after yourself,” a movement from his head is felt, he nods into my shoulder. We revert back to the usual, Taekwoon kissing Junho’s forehead, patting his soft hair down and turning back around. I stare in silence at Taekwoon walking down the street.

 

“Uncle Hakyeon? Who’s this? Is he your friend?” Slightly startled, I turn around to face Junho, who’s staring up at Jaehwan.

 

“This is Jaehwan, he works at the coffee shop down the street,” Junho smiles at me and nods, before turning back to Jaehwan.  
  
“Hello! My name is Junho, do you like flowers?” a soft smile plays on Jaehwan’s lips as an effect of Junho’s little sunshine-ness.   
  
“Ahhhh, I do like flowers! But I don’t know much about them, can you teach me?” watching Jaehwan engage with Junho is honestly one of my favourite things to watch. They work so well off of each other, Junho loves sharing his knowledge with people, and Jaehwan seems to love talking to children (probably because he is so much like them himself). That’s just how the day passes. Junho and Jaehwan exploring. Junho now and then asking for my help. Junho nodding along to what I say intently while Jaehwan fondly looks at me from the side, thinking I can’t see him, I just kept smiling back now and then chuckling in the middle of the sentence. 

 

  
  


  
I sit on the pull out couch, pulling a blanket over Junho, patting his head.  
  
“Is Jaehwan the reason?” the words blurt out out of Junho’s mouth, as if he were waiting to say that all day.  
  


  
“What?”   
  
“The reason you were smiling a lot on Wednesday…. Is it that infachuashun thingy?” I look down at him with eyes open wide. He wriggles with uncomfort.  
  


“Sorry I didn’t mean to make you feel bad. But no, Jaehwan and I are just friends,” and that’s my reply, although I’m not so sure of it. I keep patting the soft almond hair under my fingers through the silence.  
  
“Uncle, can you tell me a story? Like a flower story,” the innocence being radiated from his expression fills a certain space in my heart, left there for Junho to keep filling. So I tell him a story, he wants to hear the end and tries to stay awake, but instead I just stop talking and pat his head.  
  
“Just go to sleep, I’ll finish the story another time,” with that he smiles and closes his eyes, breaths evening out. I walk back into the kitchen, prepared for Hongbin to talk about his day staring at Pretty Boy.

  
  


.:::::::::::.

  
  


Thoughts are floating around my head strangely right now, I can almost see them resting on the plain white roof above me. Random tasks from ages ago I forgot to do appear and disappear at random times. Although, a recurrent selection of thoughts keeps coming back. _Jaehwan, Jaehwan, Jaehwan, Lee goddamn Jaehwan._ I know he was reading that book for me, back in the library, the one about flowers. He’s never mentioned flowers before or having a particular interest in them. And for him to be reading that book in particular, along with the way his expressions sat on his face, confused but determined. His flustered reaction only fuels my suspicion. I smile again. Was that a normal smile? Or a Jaehwan smile? I need Junho to decide for me. I almost scoff out loud. Jaehwan smile. Why is that what I dub it. _Maybe because Junho has a point_. I don’t think I like Jaehwan. He just makes me laugh, happy. The thought of him brings a smile to my face. Seeing him do something for the sole purpose of me makes something inside me churn. His concentrating face while he reads a book makes me want to come from behind him and hold him in a hug, helping him with the flowers I can sense him struggling with. The red flushed face when he’s embarrassed just makes me want to kiss him on the nose and make it grow brighter, a small smile dotting his face.  
Okay so maybe Junho has a point.

 

_ Wood Sorrel - Joy _ _  
_ _ Xeranthemum - Cheerfulness under adversity, immortality, eternity _ _  
_ _ Yuuca - Best friend _

_ Zephyranth - Fond caress (gentle affection) _   


 

.:::::::::::.

  
  


Jaehwan was only here for around ten minutes this morning, apparently, in his words, _Hyukkie wants my attention I told you he loved me!_ He came around to give me a coffee (sly bastard) and to tell me about ‘ _Hyukkie’s love_ ’. He’s going around to a karaoke bar and he said he may come over to my place on the way back, probably asking to be fed.  
  
All in a quick blur, the day passes. Looking slightly better than before, Taekwoon came in and took Junho home in the afternoon. Not long after that, Hongbin was sent home because apparently his coughing was annoying- he caught a small cold but not much. I’m sitting down in the shop once again, this time accompanied by a complaining Hongbin.  
  
“They kicked me out right before Pretty Boy would usually come, can’t I just admire him what’s so wrong with that,” apparently he’s so devastated that he won’t even read a book, and that’s a first. “Last week I missed him in the morning because I was late but at least I saw him in the afternoon for an hour or so~” I just keep nodding. I’d say this is a first but there tends to be something to complain about every day with him. “I only saw him for 20 minutes, Hakyeon. 20 minutes!” how has he become so reliant on seeing this boy. A small huff of breath escapes my mouth.  
  
“Just go to sleep or something, you’ll see him tomorrow,”  
  
“It’s three pm how do you expect me to sleep?” a scoff from Hongbin sets off a sound of frustration from somewhere inside of me.  
  
“Well if you have nothing else to do then go back down to that library and ask him out,” those words cause silence. “Thought so Binnie,” I grin at him and he glares back once again, “Don’t glare at me like that it hurts my feelings,” I play around with him, crafting a fake face of pain until he finally smiles.  
  
“This is why everyone hates you, you’re too adamant on our happiness, let us bask in sorrow for a bit,” a breath of a chuckle escapes with his words, his hand making its way to my shoulder with a light punch. Placing my hands under my chin, I grin widely.  
  
“I’m everybody's ray of sunshine!” Hongbin cringes at my attempt at aegyo.  
  
“Well I’m gonna go to my room and listen to Park Hyo Shin, bathe in my thoughts, and maybe watch a drama. Call to me when there’s food,” Hongbin pats my shoulder, sends me his signature smile and walks away. 

The next few hours blur like the rest.

  
  


.:::::::::::.

  
  


The light pastel blue side of my open sign looks like a harsh midnight in the late night illumination. I flick it over so the pastel blue faces out, _closed_. Chilly air brushes through my skin as I step outside, taking a few breaths before I go back inside.  
  
_The stars are so pretty. They are so far away from each other yet to us they look like close friends, creating pictures together, telling stories to each other all as we eavesdrop over them._

 

“I love being outside at this time of night,” A soft voice from behind me breaks the unthought thoughts from drifting through my brain. A head rests on my shoulder. A tuft of blonde hair appears in my eyesight.  _ A smile appears on my face. _

 

“I told you I’d come back,” barely breaking the silence, Jaehwan softly whispers into my ear those few words. My face grows in heat, tainted red at the close proximity. I can blame it on the cold. Slowly, his head is removed from my shoulder, it feels so sudden as the breath of chilled wind hits my shoulder.   
  
“Have you had dinner?”  
  
“No, did you save me any?” I glance over at his tired, cheeky smile. Breathily, I let out a small chuckle.

 

“Of course I did,” because why wouldn’t I? A beat of silence.

 

“Can we admire this first?” looking over my shoulder, I see him pointedly looking up at the sky. I smile and nod, turning back around. I hear Jaehwan sit down on the bench behind me.   
  
_Are any of those stars lovers?_ The breeze of thoughts flows through my head again. I notice the small stars, peeking through the darkness, trying their hardest to be like the others. I notice clumps together. I notice how far away they actually are from each other. Yet I don’t notice the man sitting down behind me, gaze falling lower than the stars and onto the flower boy in front, equipped with a smile on his face. 

  
  
  


“Yeoniee~” and the silence snaps under the pressure of the younger’s words, “I’m bored of the stars now, I’m hungry.” His head is back on my shoulder, leaving my face lightly brushed in pink again. Scoffing, I take a deep breath ready to reply.  
  
“What am I? You’re mother?” nevertheless, I walk turn around and walk inside, Jaehwan following suit behind.  
  


Smells of reheated fried rice slowly wafts through the air as I recook Hongbin and I’s leftover dinner. With a quick glance back behind me, I see Jaehwan sitting down at the table, eyes closed and slowly nodding off. He’s so peaceful and pretty, not trying to impress, just comfortable. I face down at my feet for a moment, sighing contently, before turning back to the rice, serving it up for one. Placing the plate by his face didn’t wake him up, so I assume a small flick on the head will help. Brushing the hair softly away from his forehead, I spot a small smile moulding its way onto his face, a mischievous grin forcing its way onto mine. Swiftly, I place three fingers on his forehead, lifting the middle one with my other hand and releasing it with as much as possible amounts of pressure.  
  
“AOHW! Hakyeon!” his face is reanimated the second my finger was flicked, hands moving up to cover his face after the exclamation. Mumbles of annoyance are sent my way with a few playful glares (nowhere near as intimidating as Hongbin’s) before Jaehwan notices the food, shutting up and digging into it instantly. Through my soft laughter taking up room in the almost silent air around us, I give him fond tap on the back of his head before grabbing an iceblock and sitting opposite him. Around five minutes later Jaehwan yawns and rubs his face, arm falling heavily back to his side after the action. And somehow he manages to look cute.  
  
“Yeonie?” his voice sounds full of sleep, almost weak and I can tell he’s about to fall asleep.  
  
“Yeah?”   
  
“Can I stay the night here? And if there isn’t a guest room do you have a double bed because it would be much more comfortable for both of us if we just shared a bed, I don’t feel like a couch today,” waterfalls of words seem to tumble out of his lips, slightly slurred together at times due to slow movement of his mouth, not catching up to his brain.

 

“Yeah sure, we can sleep in my bed,” I may be selfish but there is no way I’m going to tell him about the pull out couch. All I want is to know what it’s like with him by my side, that’s not a crime is it? Softly, a smile decorates Jaehwan’s face, eyes shutting for a second before blinking back to his half awake, half dazed state.  
  
“Help,” the single word slipping out of his mouth, arms lifting up preparing for me to help him.  
  
“You aren’t gonna finish the food?” my finger vaguely gestures towards the rice in front of him. Exasperatedly, he shakes his head.  
  
“Too much effort, ‘m too tired,” a short gust of wind escapes my mouth as I take steps towards Jaehwan, holding him by the armpits and lifting him up, supporting him with a hand around his waist as I lead Jaehwan to my room, turning lights off on the way. Once sat on the bed, I strip Jaehwan of his outside jacket, grab a pair of sweatpants and throw them at him. We get changed on our respectful sides of the room before turning around. What I see is Jaehwan, bare on top with low waisted pants on bottom, defined stomach staring straight back at me as I turn back around. Self consciously, I throw my loose shirt over my head to cover my stomach.  
  
A soft thump sounds from behind me, this time I have an excuse to look so I commit every inch of him to memory, the strong v line leading past his hips, the lightly dusted ab definition over his stomach, his relaxed muscles lying down on the bed, eyes up at the ceiling. His aesthetics inflict a soft warm feeling in my heart. He looks nice. Proceeding to move the the bed, I pull the cover up and over myself, lying down with my hands linked behind my head, naturally moulding back to that same position of each night. Jaehwan follows suit, the only difference being he lies on his side, facing me. For a few moments, I forget about turning off the lights. Instead I just take a breath, thinking of the boy next to me, whose breathing seems to shallow almost instantly, indicating that he’s asleep.  
  


Finally, after a few more moments of his calming breaths filling the void around me, I decide to get up and turn off the lights. Keeping my footsteps as silent as possible. Making sure I cause as little movement in the bedding around Jaehwan. Double checking I’m not interrupting his sleep.   
  
I quickly slip back into bed, resuming the same position of before. Preparing to be intertwined with a spider web of thoughts, thoughts that will keep winding through and around me until I’m suffocated in a warm, silky, relaxing blanket of sleep. Just as these thoughts begin to buzz through my brain, a single arm seems to slowly snake its way around my waist. Soft and relaxing. I quickly tilt my head over to Jaehwan, sleeping peacefully whilst facing me, his arms covering me in a soft embrace. I don’t care if this isn’t the right thing to do, because it feels right. It doesn’t feel wrong or uncomfortable. It feels natural. It makes me smile sweetly.

 

Naturally, my arms end up winding around him, pulling him closer into a soft hug, cradling his head into my chest with one arm as I lie on my side. I brush the soft strands out of his face, sweetly rubbing his cheek with my thumb.   
  


 

.:::::::::::.

 

  
And for the first night in eighteen years, I don’t fall asleep facing the roof. I fall asleep in the soft heartbeat shared between the boy next to me and I. 

 

_ After all, why would I need to imagine flowers on the roof, when I have my own flower right next to me _ .

  
  


.:::::::::::.

  
  
  


Soft skin brushes against my own. Blonde hair that does not belong to me tickles my face. Smooth, warm breaths swirl around my neck. Relaxing heartbeats mix together. Chest lightly pressed against chest.  
This is what I like waking up to. This is what I would always wake up to if I had the option. But I don’t have the option, so I freeze the moment into my brain, burning each small touch into my skin.   


There's a soft smile decorating my face at all times, a soft sign of content. This is all I need. Suddenly, Jaehwan’s eyelashes start fluttering open. Having no clue of what to do, my face grows red, closing my eyelids fast in the rush whilst begging for the redness to fade away. I silently panic, trying not to give out any signs of consciousness, although I know that he can feel my heart beating abnormally- after all, I could feel his soft sleepy ones, let alone him feeling the sharp thumps of my own.

 

A chuckle. That’s all. A few moments of silence. Then some words.  
  
“Hyung, I know you’re awake,” _horrifying words_. A shy squeak rises through my throat at my attempt of speaking. I guess it’s better than nothing. I had nothing to say anyway. Another laugh sends vibrations through from his chest onto mine, my eyes opening with the natural urge to see his smile. Lips are slowly shifted away from my skin, Jaehwan’s face moving to make eye contact. Only a second of it makes me let go of him, clutching onto the sheets around me and shoving them into my face.  
  
“Don’t look, I look horrible in the mornings,” my face starts darkening more over the red tint from before.

 

“Don’t cover your face. Is it too much to ask for to wake up to a pretty face,” he tries to 

pry the blankets away, but after that sentence my face gets hotter. No way I’m letting him see me now. 

 

A shiver gets sent through my spine at the sudden contact of his cold hand being placed against my forehead.

  
“Oh no, I think you have a fever,” a worried look shoots across his face, quickly being replaced with a playful one.   
“Covering your face won’t help the fever, come on Yeonie,” more tugs at the blankets. Giving in, I sigh, pulling the covers away from my red hot face, burning more at the smirk Jaehwan sends my way.

“Good job,” he says it softly, a similar smile spreading over his face while his fingers quickly rise to brush my face, before being pulled back down from hesitation. Instead of whatever he was planning on doing, he lands a small kiss on the tip of my nose, before standing up and wandering down the stairs. He’s left me in a confused blushing mess once again, causing me to collect my thoughts and cool down my face by fanning my hands. Eventually, I make the decision to go downstairs and find Jaehwan.  
  
“Who are yo- oh wait I think I recognise you” Hongbin’s voice rings through my ears and I groan. I did not plan for this situation to have a Hongbin included. Surely he should have left by now, don’t want to miss the cute boy and whatnot.

 

“I’m Hakyeon’s friend, Jaehwan,” I round the corner to watch their conversation, ready to interrupt if needed. I notice a questionable raise in Hongbin’s eyebrow and his eyes travel along Jaehwan’s body. I nearly hiss at this sight, almost protective over who sees Jaehwan shirtless.

 

“You’re literally shirtless and came from his room what part of this is platonic?” Jaehwan begins to attempt stuttering out an answer before Hongbin cuts him off quickly, “Oh that’s who you are!” a small headcock of confusion comes from Jaehwan. “You hang out with Pretty Boy most weekends!’ with a moment of realisation, it hits Hongbin instantly, realising he just basically told his crush's friend that he stalks his crush. It jumps on him hard with red leaking into his skin- Hongbin rarely grows red so this really is a sight to see. I decide against leaving them to awkwardly stand, so I walk into the room, slightly startled by Jaehwan’s sudden burst of laughter.  
  
“Wow, not many people call Hyuk pretty. Manbaby, sure. Evil, always. Feisty Maknae, very common. But pretty boy?” Hongbin’s blush raises at Jaehwan’s sentence, eye’s also widening for the same reason.  
  
“People don’t find him pretty? But he’s like, the epitome of perfectly adorable and manly thrown into one person,” mumbles of confusion fall out of Hongbin’s mouth, “it’s honestly the perfect mix of everything and it makes him so nice to look at ,” well I guess he’s confessing everything now.  
  
“Yeah well if you don’t go soon you don’t get to see him, so shut up, eat your food, and leave,” saying the first words since I walked in, Hongbin is startled. I’m not sure whether it is because of the concept of not seeing Hyuk or my sudden appearance, but he seems to hurry up nonetheless. I glance over at Jaehwan, something I seem to be doing very often recently, and gesture for him to sit down at the table. Quickly going to grab some ingredients to make breakfast, I lightly sigh.  
  
“You okay?” with concern ringing through my ears softly, Jaehwan’s voice comes from behind me. And of course it makes me smile.  
  
“Yeah I’m just, still really tired. It’s fine though I can still make breakfast,” I continue taking the boxes and packets out of the cupboards after those words, until soft hands appear on mine. Warmth radiates from behind me, a body almost pressing against the back of mine.  
  
“Why don’t we eat something from the cafe,” Jaehwan’s voice as a whisper sneaks into my skin, almost causing a shiver to be sent through me. With slight pressure of the hands above mine, I start slowly placing the ingredients onto the counter and dropping my hands back to my sides once released. Soft heat is still placed lightly to my hands as he holds my wrists loosely, arm’s traveling up right next to mine.  
“Go wash your face, I’ll put these back,” as those words travel through to my head, the shiver is released down my spine, along with pink pigment spreading through my skin.

“ _ After all I have to look after my man,”  _ that goddamn flirt, I will stab him he needs to stop playing games this is not funny. Nothing stops the blood rushing to my face, changing the pink into a bright red. I let out a small squeak and look down from shock.

 

“Um, okay, yeah sure,” I pull away from him, hurriedly walking away to the bathroom. Moving away from him feels like ripping a bandaid off of my body. Just washing my face, all I’m doing is washing my face, rubbing the redness away with the cooling water washing down my face. I’m not thinking about Jaehwan or how much I just want to hold him tight, or for him to hold my hands from behind as I make breakfast in the mornings. Not at all.

 

Cold water splashes against my face and I hurriedly rub my face, as if it will take all these thoughts away. The sink vibrates and I can see my phone screen lighting up as I look up through slightly wet hair, weight resting heavily on my hands against the sink.  _ One new message from kongbean _ . Ignoring my damp hands, I check it.

 

_ Kongbean: If you two fucked last night please make sure i cant tell when i get home _ _  
_ _ Kongbean: Or if you fuck today _

_ Kongbean: Either way hes nice try keep him _

 

I groan in frustration, I completely forgot Hongbin was there during that whole ordeal. Picking up the phone, I punch in a reply

 

_ ChaFlower: It’s not like that, we’re just friends _ _  
_ _ ChaFlower: Also fix your grammar _ _  
_ _ ChaFlower: Also you just want me to date him because he knows Hyuk _

 

_ Kongbean: …. _ _  
_ _ Kongbean: Shut up mum i can do what i want _

 

_ ChaFlower: Omg is it actually because of Hyuk are you that shallow? _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Kongbean: …… _ _  
  
_

I can’t believe he’s that shallow to care more about getting laid rather than my safety. Suddenly, I remember where I am, and what I’m doing. After drying off my face aggressively, I take a look in the mirror. Bits of my hair have lightly clung to each other, due to the water from my face. Oh well I’m good enough, I’m just going out for breakfast and coffee.

 

Slowly, I move my hand to the door handle, pushing it down and opening the door while rubbing my face for the last time. Jaehwan looks over at me from the kitchen, a smile on his face as my eyes wander down the the clean bench.  
  
“Should we go?” Jaehwan’s eyes wander to the door as he speaks. I almost put my hand out for him to hold as I nod, causing my smile to falter for a quick second due to the lack of warmth around my palm and fingers. Although I quickly pick the edges of my lips back up, I grab my coat and scarf, ready to venture out into the morning breeze.   
  
Small hand gestures from me signal for Jaehwan to leave first, and I swiftly pluck two yellow tulips and an orange rose from a bouquet next to me. We begin the ten minute trip down the street to the cafe, flowers hid in the back pockets and hands shoved in the front.  
  
_Yellow tulips, I’m falling head over heels for you_ _  
__  
__Orange rose, middle grounds of romance and friendship, I have a crush on you_

 

Minutes pass of comfortable silence, the chirping of birds filling in some space. As we get closer to the cafe I can almost feel the warmth of the coffee scented air inside. The usual situation begins, Jaehwan makes me a latte and himself a hot chocolate, the only difference being the food he pulled out for breakfast. Whilst happily eating and listening to Jaehwan’s rant (he happens to be speaking with his mouth full which I find oddly cute due to the passion in his words), I slowly drift off into my mind.  
  
My indirect confession sits in my lap, orange and yellow soft scales of a flower ready to be shared. The petals feel as if they burn into my skin through the dark fabric of my jacket. They feel like they belong there, like they were made to be picked by my hands, ready to be placed in another’s. 

 

It’s nice.   
  


“So Hyuk decided to abandon me because apparently studying is more important than me. It’s not like he actually studies, he just likes to be aesthetic. ” Jaehwan’s voice rings through my brain, pulling me back from the flowers to his voice.

 

“I thought Hyuk has like, A++++ grades though, surely he studies for those,” I bring the spoonful of cake into my mouth, still holding the spoon in hand as I wait for Jaehwan to begin talking again.

 

“Yeah but he doesn’t need to be in there 24/7,” Jaehwan’s spoon drops to his plate and looks down at his cake, pouting. I smile at him fondly, leaning over lightly to tap him on the nose with my spoon.

“Come on, I know he’s not in there 24/7, Hongbin’s told me his whole schedule,” I lean back as Jaehwan plunges his face into his cake. The air around us seems to warm as he pulls his face out, grinning with cake covering his mouth.

 

“How long has he liked Hyuk for him to know his schedule,” Jaehwan easily asks, licking some of the cake off and wiping the rest off.

 

“A long time,” I reply, sipping my coffee. I seriously wonder when Hongbin will get a life that doesn’t revolve around this singular boy. 

 

“Huh,” he simply replies, going back to drinking his hot chocolate.

 

Silence fills the air like a thin sheet, the sound of the fireplace in the corner crackling, the sound of the small buzz noise in my head, the sounds of coffee machines turning on by choice. It’s strange how we consider background noise as silence I can hear many things right now yet because someone is no longer talking, it seems silent. 

 

After finished my coffee, I carefully teared the sheet of silence.

 

“I’m gonna have to go open my shop now,” 

 

“Mhm,” he hums into his coffee. I lightly reach into my lap, picking up the three flowers softly and holding them in my hand as I get up, ready to leave.

 

“I brought you these by the way,” I say, placing the flowers in front of me. His head tilts up slightly, looking at my fond smile. 

 

“What do they mean?” he questions me in his aegyo way.

 

“Oh, uh, I didn’t think about that, I just grabbed aesthetic ones,” I scratch my head, wishing away my rosy cheeks.

 

“Well thank you~” and with that he smiles brightly at me, eyes creased and lips slightly lopsided in his cute smiley way.

 

“It’s fine,” I smile and turn around, ready enough to set up shop for another day of blooming stories.

 

And then I leave. A goodbye with a small accidental stumble as I walk to the door, barely taking notice of the cold air hitting me as it sends shivers through my skin. It doesn't take me long to blankly walk home, opening up the shop with muscle memory and stepping behind the counter to gather my thoughts. 

 

The day passes as casually as usual, flowers and stories, colours and meanings. Taekwoon comes by with Junho again just as I begin closing down the shop, this time he says he wants to make dinner for us as a thanks for looking after Junho. So Hongbin comes home to the savoury aroma of food and we all eat together.

  
  
  


“Have you maybe tried finding someone to help look after you two,” Junho had just finished eating his food and excused himself to go look at the flowers, I take it as a chance to ask Taekwoon some questions, try help him. “You know, like a guy who has better working hours and can help feed you both, maybe help you recover after work,” Taekwoon simply glares at my offer, swallowing his food before speaking.

 

“If I don’t have time to make Junho and I food what makes you think I would be able to pick up a guy,” there is a pause between his words as he picks up some food, “I only get a little bit of spare time and it all goes to Junho, it keeps us both happy.” And the food is back in his mouth, signalling he's made his point.

 

“Come on Taek, I don't wanna see you grow old and lonely, you're a great looking guy I’m sure it wouldn't be that hard,” Hongbin quickly jumps in with a scoff after my rebuttal.

 

“Easy for you to say, could you now explain why Pretty Boy’s friend came from your room shirtless this morning,” Taekwoon looks up from his food, paying attention to our conversation.

 

“Oh, that's Jaehwan, he's the barista from down the street, we’re friends now. He was drunk and tired and fell asleep here,” in hopes to shut up Hongbin, I reply simply.

 

“And you didn’t use the pull out couch because,” and as expected, he asks more questions again.

 

“I wanted an excuse to sleep in the same bed as him,” it's a straight forward reply, it was obvious anyway there’s no point lying.

 

“It didn't make him uncomfortable? Being forced into a bed with an old man like you?” I ignore the rude comment, as per usual.

 

“He suggested sharing, I simply didn't mention the second bed,” and before Hongbin can even think of a reply, the little angel walks into the room, repelling Hongbin with its presence. Junho tugs on Taekwoon’s sleeve.

 

“Oh, hi Junny,” and Taekwoon’s full attention is immediately drawn towards his son.

 

“Can uncle hakyeon tell me flower stories?” Junho says this just loud enough for me to hear, although mainly intended for Taekwoon.

 

“Of course, just go back in there and wait a minute,” thankfully Taekwoon replies and shoves Junho out of the room with a small pat on the back, allowing us to finish our conversation. 

 

Although instead of finishing the conversation, I start a new one.

 

“Would you two like to stay the night, I'm sure you don't mind sharing the pull out couch,” sometimes I can’t believe how often I have to mother Taekwoon, he’s supposed to be the father not me.

 

“And this time he manages to mention the couch,” Hongbin slyly ads after my words, instantly retracting his neck so I can’t neck chop it. I would be annoyed if he didn’t look like a scared turtle, staring at me cautiously with his doe eyes.

 

“Seriously it's too late to go back now, you can sleep well if you say here,” I finish my sentence from before, because sometimes it’s just best to pretend Hongbin isn’t even there

 

“Not if Hakyeon invites his friend over again,” but sometimes it’s hard to pretend when he’s shoving metaphorical winky faces at me. Suddenly my phone buzzes in my back pocket.

  
  


XXXX-37-515: hEY! Its your cute personal barista here asking if I can stay another night because im tired and want a teddy bear to hug

 

Borkyeon: uh sure, but Junho and Taekwoon are also staying the night

 

Hwanieee: yayyyy ^^ ty :)))))

 

“Okay so Jaehwan is staying the night,” Hongbin glares at me like he has a bucket of water ready to be chucked.

 

“I swear to God if you fuck while Junho is-” his voice almost instantly hisses out a complaint, before being interrupted (once again by the small angel. If only I had demon repelling skills like his)

 

“Uncle are you coming?”

 

“Yep!” I stand up, ready to make my way out of the room, “Oh and I’ve decided for you, you two are staying the night no exceptions,” my feet take me to the front of the shop, where I proceed to talk and sing about the garden of plants around us. 

 

My words fall through the air, it feels as if vines begin covering the walls, holding us in the sanctuary of the world’s most beautiful creation. These feelings and thoughts are all that matter, forgetting about the shitty world for just a few minutes clears my brain.

 

I could definitely stay here for awhile.

 

Awhile doesn’t last long

 

“Hyung~ I’m here~” Jaehwan’s piercing voice seems break through the vine barriers. At this point, I decide that the stories are over, Junho seemed to be getting tired anyway.

 

“Junho, story time’s over for now sorry, go back to papa I have to look after Hwannie,” Junho, smiled at me and ran into the other room. Most likely to run and jump on Taekwoon. I turn and look at Jaehwan. He seems drunk.  
  
“Sit here and I’ll get you water, don’t move or touch anything,” I follow after Junho, who walked into the dining room once again, this time he’s climbed onto the lap of his father. Taekwoon holds him to his chest delicately as Junho softly sleeps in his arms. I tell Hongbin to set up the pull out couch and grab the blankets. I pour and hold the large glass of water in my hand, the liquid moving around as I take steps into the main shop.  
  
“Here Hwannie, drink this then make your way up to my room without talking to anybody,” shuffles of feet are heard from behind me, seemingly following my instructions.  
  
“We need another blanket, Taekwoon’s long legs don’t fit the small shitty blanket you give Junho,” Hongbin tells me as I pass the cup of liquid over to Jaehwan.  I pull out a large duvet from the cupboard, throwing it at Hongbin before following Jaehwan (who had begun wandering upstairs)

 

Once I reach my room, I see Jaehwan’s long body spread out over my mattress, blankets crinkled underneath his weight.

 

I smile at the younger, almost considering grabbing some other blanket and sleeping on the ground to reserve Jaehwan’s comfort, I nearly did until Jaehwan looked at me.

 

“Hak? Why aren’t you joining me I want a bear to hug,” his sleeping grabby hands reach out to me, convincing me to lie down onto the bed next to him. Warmth radiates from beside me as two arms wrap around my waist, Jaehwan’s body leaning into my smaller frame.

 

“C’mon, let’s at least get under the blanket,” I whisper just loud enough for Jaehwan to hear, maneuvering my legs around in order to pull the blanket over myself. With the movement of the sheets beneath him and the teddy bear in his arms, Jaehwan reluctantly wiggles his body off of the blanket, instantly resuming the same position from before has soon as the blanket falls over us. From this point onwards, I forget about Taekwoon and Junho (Hongbin’s probably taking care of them), I forget about my roommate’s sassy remarks and indulge myself in the warmth of the younger’s arms.

  
  
The warmth from his arms spread through my skin, blood like a bullet train as it moves through my body. A deep inhale of comfort escapes my lips as I close my eyes and submerge myself in the faint scent of coffee. A faint, slurred voice makes its way into the air.

 

“Y’know, I know what those, those flowers mean. The three you gave me. I just don’t know wh’ther you meant to or not.” My heart stops. I know he can feel it. The skip in the thud that was previously lightly lulling him to sleep. 

 

           “Just go to sleep you idiot,” 

 

And he did

 

.:::::::::.

 

So it was yet another night where sleep fades over me swiftly, leaving me lying on my side facing Jaehwan. The second night in eighteen years in which I didn’t fall asleep on my back.

 

.:::::::::::.

  
  


There’s a sudden lack of warmth around me, waking me up with a shudder as I pull more blankets around me. For some reason that doesn’t help. I haven’t realised why until the blankets are lightly peeled off me, a warm body sneaking next to me and a soft arm winding around my waist, blanket falling lightly over the two of us again.

 

Oh yeah.

 

Jaehwan.

 

I speak up groggily, although not making any attempt to move from his hold.  
  
“What time is it?” I uncomfortably push the words through my half asleep mouth, the sounds muffling even more as they hit my arm pressed against my face. There’s a pause of silence as Jaehwan shifts behind me, most likely checking the time. He kept his hand around my waist.

 

“8:43 am. Did I wake you up?” he replies, nestling back down to rest his nose in the crook of my neck, breathing softly on my pulse.

 

“Mmm, yeah but it’s fine. Why did you get up though?” I ask, more clear this time with a fully functional mouth. My arm was still covering my face though.  
  
“Hongbin left some aspirin and water for me,” I feel his mouth move against the muscles on my back, bringing small goosebumps to the surface. I huff lightly. Hongbin has never cared that much about me as to leave some aspirin before he leaves. Picking favourite’s much.   
  
“There was a piece of paper next to it saying _‘hope you feel better. Also it would be nice if you didn’t tell Pretty Boy about my intense crush on him, that would be great :D)   - signed Hakyeon’s roommate’”_ Of course, Hongbin is just sucking up to Jaehwan so he doesn’t out Hongbin’s obsession. I’m not even surprised at this point.  
  
“There was a p.s for you underneath it saying _‘Also, Hakyeon, Taekwoon and Junho already left  before me and cleaned up and everything because they’re great people who don’t want to disturb your lazy ass.’_ ” I scoff again after what Jaehwan told me.

 

My back muscles loosen slightly as I relax more into Jaehwan's arms, the extra warmth from his chest seeps into my heart. I sigh contently as I feel his head relax into my shoulder.

 

“It was nice of him to do that,” his lips once again move against my skin. A grunt surges through my throat..

 

“Yea sure,”

 

I like this. 

 

Soft early morning conversation.

Comfortable touches and shallow breaths. 

 

Neither of us make an effort to move, the only thing similar being Jaehwan’s finger slowly circling the skin on my hip bone, just underneath my loose t-shirt.

 

“When you said that my usual coffee wasn’t on the menu were you serious?” The question seemingly comes from nowhere, the context dating back to a few days ago when I found Jaehwan at the library. 

 

“Hmm? Oh yeah. When you said to make anything that’ll wake you up, my hands just kinda started making something. Latte to match the shade of your beautiful skin, cinnamon for the slight hint of cinnamon in your scent, and the whipped cream to show how soft and fluffy you looked when you walked into my cafe,” 

 

“Oh” is the only sound to escape my mouth. I had expected a small reply like ‘yeah, I was practising some new coffees to see what they tasted like. Not that. 

 

His breaths sit shallow on my neck in silence. They stay the same pace. In for three slow seconds. Out for three more. It’s relaxing as I count them.

 

“I did mean what those flowers said,” I still count those breaths as my mouth opens to let out more conversation. It calms me as I start confessing to him.  
  
“Hmm?” the noise barely makes it past his mouth as I can imagine exactly what he’d look like. Eyelids softly fluttered closed, lips barely pressed together, just enough space to let the hummed reply through.

 

“Yesterday, at the cafe,” I add more context to fix his confusion.

 

“Oh, when you left your goddamn cake without eating it,” oh. I didn’t think about that. I guess I did leave it behind.

 

“Huh, I forgot I had that cake,”

 

“Hm,” Jaehwan hums into my neck.

 

“So about the flowers, I seem to have forgotten what they meant, could you tell me?” I can feel the corner of his lips pick up into a small grin behind me.

 

“I know you what what they mean, I can feel you smiling,”  I continue to count the repetitive breaths.

 

“Come on, I just want to hear you say the words,”

 

“They mean I want to date you, you idiot,” I still count his breaths.

 

“Does that mean I’ll have permission to cuddle you whenever I want? Are you gonna be my full time teddy bear?” I laugh at his words lightly, my smile doesn’t leave.

 

“Yes please,”

 

“So you’re fine with us staying here all day?” he seems to somehow relax into me even more, as if he's getting comfortable for a full days rest already.

 

“Sounds like a good plan to me,” despite both of us having work to attend, I relax myself completely into his hold, closing my eyes softly with a warm smile. 

This is very nice.

 

I could get used to this.


End file.
